My Scar
by StrayElf
Summary: Nikato Tomoshi, a teenage girl with a painful past. She has to start a new school yet again, she meets new friends. They get her to join a contest, one that could very well change how she sees herself. Disclaimer: I own no inuyasha characters!
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, you're going to be late!" My gaurdian yelled up the stairs. I glared at my door.

"I don't care anymore." I yelled back, and threw myself on my bed. I heard feet coming up the stairs and prepared myself to be yelled at. Mimi pushed open my door and stood leaning on the frame.

"I know this has to be hard for you, starting a new school so many times." She said softly, I didn't look at her.

"You have no idea." I muttered.

"Nikato," She began.

"No, don't even try to say you know what I'm going through! This isn't normal teenage stuff! I've been to over twenty different schools in five different countries since the time I was eleven. That was six years ago. I hate starting a new school, but I can never stay in one place. I'm tired of making a new friend, only to have to leave a week or two later." I said angrily. "I'm also tired of people always staring at me, because of this damn scar!" It started above my left eye and curved around it, then it went down to the middle of my cheek, and then went across my nose, stopping short of my right ear. Everywhere I went people always stared. It bothered me to no end, all I wanted to do is be treated like a normal kid, but that was never the case. I was always treated differently, and I hated it.

"Watch your language, and you're right, I don't know how that feels, but I got you something." She came towards my bed and held out a box. I sat up, and took it from her.

"What is it?" I asked, examining the box.

"Just open it." I did what she said and opened the box. In it was a cloth. I picked it up, and saw that it was a type of a mask. I looked at her questioningly.

"It's to cover the scar. You have permission to wear it in school, I already asked." I put the cloth on, hooking the straps around my ears. I got up and looked in the mirror. It covered the scar, and fit me perfectly. The cloth was soft, and a light blue. It covered both of my cheeks, and was connected by a thin strip across my nose, like goggles. The only part of my scar it didn't cover was above my eye, but my bangs were long enough to do that.

"Thank you." I said softly, it meant alot to me.

"You're welcome, now come on and get into your uniform. We don't want you to be late." She turned and left the room. I went to my dresser and took out my uniform. Usually the girls are supposed to wear skirts and a short sleeve blouse, but I had received permission to wear pants, and a long sleeve white shirt. I got dressed quickly, and grabbed my bag. I went downstairs, and Mimi led me to the car. The school was about ten minutes away by car, so I would have to walk as soon as I memorized the way.

Ten minutes later she pulled to a stop outside the school. Shikon High is where I would be going. I was starting three-forths the way through the year. I stared at the building, unsure if I wanted to get out.

"Come on, out. I have to go to work. Here," She handed me money and a piece of paper. I stuck the money in my pocket and looked at the paper, it was the address of her work. That joined the money in my pocket. "Use the money to catch a bus home, or if you think you know the way, walk. I'll be home around eight, so you have to make your own dinner. See you later!" She said and I got out. As soon as the door was closed, she left. I stood there, staring at the school. Figuring that it wasn't doing me any good to be standing there, I made my way towards the school. Mimi had told me yesterday to go to the office to get my schedule. Once inside the doors, I was swept up into the wave of students. With some difficulty I was able to remove myself from the mob when I saw the office. I opened the door and went in. There was a woman sitting at a desk working on a computer. I went up to it, and stood there uncomfortably waiting for her to notice me.

"Can I help you?" She asked, looking up from her work. She was pretty with light brown hair, and green eyes.

"Um, I'm a new student, I came to get my schedule." I said.

"Name?" She asked, looking through the papers on her desk.

"Tomoshi Nikato." I replied, and she found the paper.

"Here you go, we can get a student to show you around." She said as she handed me the paper. "Higurashi, Kagome. Come to the main office, please." She said over the intercom.

"You didn't have to do that!" I said hurriedly.

"Nonsense, Kagome is a nice girl, and she would be happy to help you out." The secretary replied, waving away my words. The door opened to admit a raven haired girl with warm brown eyes. "Ah, Kagome! How are you doing today?"

"Fine, Ria. Why'd you call me?" She replied, looking at me questioningly.

"This is Nikato Tomoshi, she's a new student and in your first class. I would like you to show her the way, please. I'll call your teacher and tell him you will be late, so you won't have a tardy." Ria said.

"Sure! Come on!" Kagome led me out of the office and into the hall. "So you're new, huh?" She asked me.

"Yeah, thanks for agreeing to show me the way." I answered.

"No problem! Where are you from?" She looked at me.

"Origionally I'm from the country, but I recently moved here from Germany." I replied.

"Wow! Why were you in Germany?" She asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now." I replied softly.

"Ok, um......not to be rude or anything, but why are you wearing that?" I knew she was asking about the mask.

"Ummm...." I trailed off, not sure if I wanted to tell her.

"That's all right if you don't want to tell me now, I understand because you just met me and all. Here we are, study hall!" She opened the door for me and I went in first.

"Hey everyone, listen up!" She said as the door closed behind her. Everyone looked towards us. "This is Nikato Tomoshi, she's a new student!" Kagome said loudly, introducing me to the class. I felt my face heat up as everyone stared.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the gang!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a group of students in the back.

"Nikato....that sounds like a guys name, so I'm going to call you Nikki." Kagome said, shoving me into a chair next to a girl with black hair back in a ponytail, and hazel eyes.

"Um ok." I answered, it was the only thing I could think of to say. Kagome sat next to me.

"Guys, this is Nikki, Nikki, these are my friends, and yours too." I was a little shocked, already she was treating me like she had known me for a year, even though she just met me.

"Very explanatory, Kagome." The girl next to me said. "I'm Sango."

"I'm Rin." A girl to the right of Sango said. She had brown hair, and merry green eyes.

"And I'm Ayume." A girl with long dark brown hair and green-brown eyes said.

"Nice to meet you." I replied. We spent the rest of the hour talking, well mostly I listened and the other four girls talked. The bell rang, and I pulled out my schedule.

"What do you have next?" Sango asked me.

"Calculus." I replied.

"Same here, I'll walk you there!" Rin said. She led me to the classroom and introduced me to the teacher. They got me situated with a book, and Rin was made my partner. "Where's your locker?" She asked me as we sat down at a table.

"Umm..." I consulted my schedule and located the locker number. "589." I replied.

"Ooh thats too bad." She said sympathetically.

"Why?" I asked.

"You are right next to the preppy girls. The cheerleaders. They think they rule this school." I nodded in understanding.

"I see." The class started, and I turned my attention to the teacher. His name was Mr. Komoya, and he was in about his mid-thirties. He made the math easy to understand, and I followed the lesson easily. I was even able to help Rin with a problem on the assignment he gave us. By the end of the hour, I was mostly done with the days homework.

"Geez, you are good." Rin said impressed as we packed up our supplies. "What do you have next?" She asked.

"Grammer."

"Ok, you go down this hall and take a right at the first turn, then you take a left. The class you want is the second door on the left side of the hallway." She said as she turned away to go to her next class.

"Thanks!" I said and followed her directions. I reached the door the same time as a girl that looked alot like Kagome. At a distance, they would be almost twins, but as I came close, I saw a huge difference. The girl ran into me, and stopped.

"Are you going to apologize?" She demanded me.

"No. You ran in to me, not the other way around." I replied coldly. I didn't like girls like her.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" She glared at me.

"A barbie doll with too much cheap make-up and perfume? Honestly, if I were you, I'd tone it down......alot." I remarked and entered the classroom. I went to the teacher to get a book and a seat.

"You can sit next to Sango." Mrs. Tatsumi said, and pointed me to the back of the room. Sango grinned and waved me over.

"I heard what you said about Kikyou. Very nice." She said as I sat down next to her.

"Thank you, I usually try to be nice, but I can't stand girls like her." I said, and itched my cheek, careful not to displace the cloth.

"What's that for?" Sango asked, indicating to the cloth.

"Ok class, turn to page 145." Mrs. Tatsumi interrupted so I couldn't answer. I was relieved. The class was spent learning about how to congregate verbs in Japenese and English. I had an advantage because I could speak English fairly well. The class flew by, and before I knew it, the bell rang.

"How do I get to the science room?" I asked Sango. She gave me directions, and I thanked her. I entered the science room and located the teacher. Mr. Katsumi got me a book, and directed me to a seat. The class started filling in, and a boy with short black hair and an earring in his left ear sat next to me.

"Hello, my name is Miroku." He offered his hand, and I shook it.

"Nikato." I said, meeting his lively brown eyes.

"That is a very beautiful name." He said, and lifted my hand to his mouth to kiss it. As he did that, I felt a hand touch me in a very inappropriate place. I jerked my hand away, and punched him, hard. As he rubbed his shoulder, I shoved him off his chair. he landed hard, his head hitting the floor.

"Pervert." I ground out my face red. He lay there stunned, and everyone just shook their heads.

"Miroku, get back in your seat and keep your hands to yourself. I won't give her detention if she hits you again." Mr. Katsumi said tiredly. Apparently this wasn't the first time he had done this. Rubbing his head, Miroku got back in his chair. I scooted mine away from his, so I was out of his reach. The rest of the class went off without a hitch. The bell rang, and I stuffed my book in my bag with the other ones. Then I made my way towards the cafeteria. As I waited in line, I looked around the huge room, trying to find Kagome. I saw her, already at a table. She waved, and I nodded to show that I saw her. I got my food and told the cashier my lunch number. Juggling a full tray, and a backpack through the crowd of kids was kind of difficult. A foot was stuck in my path to trip me up. Luckily, I was quick on my feet, and caught myself before I landed on my face. I even managed to not spill my tray. I glared at who's foot had tried to trip me. Surprise surprise, it was Kikyou.

"Nice try, but you have to be better than that to beat me." I informed her, and continued on my way to the table. I heard her approach me, and dodged to the side, right as she meant to shove me. Surprised, she fell flat on her face, her short skirt exposing her underwear. Boys hooted and I just continued to the table. I set my tray down next to Kagome and shrugged my bag off, placing it on the floor where my feet would be. Then I turned back to Kikyou. Her friends were rushing to help her up.

"Like I said, you have to be better than that." I said, and sat down. I picked up my sandwhich and took a bite. Sango was across from me and trying very hard not to laugh. Kagome, Rin, and Ayume didn't have that kind of self-control, they were full out laughing.

"So how's your first day been so far?" Sango asked, her voice tight as she tried not to laugh.

"Pretty good so far." I replied nonchalantly. I tensed as someone neared me. The cafeteria began hushed, and I knew it was Kikyou.

"Do you know who I am?" She yelled. I stood up, and my stance showed that I wouldn't be manipulated or intimidated.

"I thought I cleared that up earlier. Do you need me to refresh your memory? You are a fake, a fraud, a barbie doll with too much cheap make-up and perfume. Maybe you should spend a bit less time on your looks and more on things that will actually help you in life. Like school work?" I retorted. Her face turned red, even redder if possible.

"You stupid little bitch! Who are you to talk about looks? What are you hiding under that mask, huh?" She whipped her hand at me, and I caught her wrist before she could touch my face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I said coldly. She yanked her arm, and I realeased her. "Now go away and let me eat my lunch." I turned away from her and sat back down. The rest of the day was easy.

* * *

Two monthes later

"Hey Nikki!" I looked over my shoulder and saw Kagome running towards me. I stopped so she could catch up to me.

"Hey Kagome, are you excited?" We had one day left of school, and then we were free for the summer.

"Yeah! Today is the last day of school!" She cheered. I laughed at her actions. She skipped around me, singing a nonsense song. Then she ran out into the street, looking up at the sky, spinning in a circle.

"We're gonna be late!" I told her, but she just continued spinning. I laughed and watched her. Suddenly I heard a screech, and a car flew around the corner. It was barreling at Kagome, and she had no clue.

"Kagome, get out of the way!" I yelled, she stopped and stared at the car, frozen. It was heading towards her. If it hit her at the speed it was going, she wouldn't survive. I took off towards her, tackling her, forcing her out of the way in the nick of time. It was so close, I actually felt the car speed past me.

"Oh my god!" Kagome whispered.

"Are you all right?" I asked, getting off of her. I had landed on her after I tackled her.

"You saved my life! Oh, Nikki, you're bleeding!" I wiped my face and winced as I touched a scrape on my cheek.....wait a minute, there was no cloth!

"Crap!" I muttered, and frantically looked for it while trying to keep my face hidden from Kagome.

"What's wrong? What are you looking for?" She asked.

"The cloth I usually wear, I lost it!" I said, keeping my face hidden.

"Oh well, let me see the scrape." She tried moving my hand.

"No, don't Kagome!" I said as she pulled my hand away. She gasped and stared at me. I felt my face heat up, and I spied the cloth by Kagome's foot. I grabbed it and put it back on. "I'm fine. It was just a scrape, are you all right?" I asked her, and stood up. I held my hand out to help her up. She took it numbly.

"Please answer me so I know that you are all right!" I said exasperated.

"I'm........fine........" She said softly. I looked for the car that had sped by us, and saw it a block away.

"Wait here." I told Kagome, and ran to the car. I pounded on the driver's window until they rolled the window down.

"Who in the hell do you think you are?" The driver growled at me. he seemed about my age with silver hair and golden eyes.

"The person you almost hit, you jackass. Next time, watch where you're going." I retorted and then went back to Kagome. She was still in shock.

"Come on, school's about to start." I said, and she followed me. When we were about five minutes away from school, she grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"The whole time, you never told me what was under that. I've never seen you without it." She said softly.

"Because I hate being treated differently because of the scar. That's why I have it covered." I told her.

"How did you get it?" She asked.

"Now is not the time to talk about this." I told her.

"Fine, then we'll talk after school at my house. Souta, Mom, and Gramps will all be gone. I'll tell Sango, Rin, and Ayume to meet us there." She said, and continued walking. In the two monthes I knew her, I had realized it was alot easier to just agree with her. I caught up with her.

The day passed way too quickly for my liking. All too soon was I walking to Kagome's house. Once we were all inside and settled down in her living room, Sango, Rin, and Ayume looked between me and Kagome confused.

"So what was so important that we all had to meet here?" Rin asked.

"Nikki will answer that." Kagome said shortly, I think she was still a little irked that I hadn't told her. They looked at me expectantly.

"Well you see..." I began slowly. "This morning when Kagome and I were walking to school, Kagome was in the street when this car almost hit her. I was able to get her out of the way in time, but it was close." The girls gasped.

"You were almost killed this morning, and you didn't tell us?" Sango screeched.

"That's not what is so important. Continue Nikki." Kagome said.

"Well after I tackled her, the cloth on my face came off, and she saw what was under it." I said softly.

"Well what's under it?" Rin asked.

"First you have to promise not to treat me any differently." I said seriously.

"What?" Ayume asked, confused.

"Promise me!" I said.

"I promise." Sango and Kagome said at the same time.

"We promise." Ayume and Rin choursed. With shaking hands, I took the cloth off my face, and took a deep breath. Then I looked up at them. They were all speechless.

"What......what happened?" Sango asked hesitantly, she was the first to find her voice.

"Well like I told you, I'm origionally from the country. When I was eight, my father started to hit my mom. After two years, she couldn't take it anymore and comitted suicide." My voice was soft, but it didn't matter, the room was dead silent. I took a deep breath, I hadn't talked about any of this in over a year. "Just after my tenth birthday, dear old dad turned his rage on me and my little brother. I usually could protect my brother by making me the target. On my eleventh birthday, I was late getting home form school, and dad was drunk. When I got there, he had Shen. my sweet little brother who had done nothing wrong, he was only five years old!" A tear ran down my face, but I didn't bother to wipe it away. I knew more would follow it. "He was crying, my father had been hitting him, and he had a knife. I ran in, and started yelling, trying to get my fathers attention on me. I dove in front of Shen, trying to protect him. Father swung at me with the knife, it caught me above the eye, and it went around. I knew he was heading for my throat, so I jerked my head to the side, so it cut across my face. It hurt so bad, and Shen was crying. I was blinded in one eye, and couldn't fight back very well. I was shoved to the side. I tried getting back in front of Shen, but I was too slow." I was now crying.

"He stabbed Shen, more than once. I can still remember how Shen screamed." As if saying that brought the memories fresh in my mind. His screams filled my head. It drove me over the edge, I jumped up and ran. I had avoided these memories for so long, and now they were right in front of me. I ran from the house and flew down the steps of the shrine. It had started raining, and I ran down the sidewalk, not caring where I was going. I ran out in the street, not noticing the car until it was almost too late. In the headlights of the car, I saw Shen, laughing, then him crying. I started crying harder and sank to the cold, wet ground.

"Are you all right?" I barely registered that someone had asked me a question.

"Nikki!" Kagome called, running to me, and sinking on the ground next to me.

"I couldn't protect him! I failed him, Kagome." I cried, she wrapped her arms around me.

"You did your best, you were only eleven." She told me soothingly.

"What is going on here?" A man asked.

"I'm having a very bad day." I muttered, finally gaining control of my emotions. 'That's why I don't think of that. That's why I keep it locked away deep inside me.' I took all the grief and pain I was feeling and locked inside my heart, carefully setting up the barrier again. I wiped my face off, for what it was worth and stood up. I helped Kagome up as well.

"Really? bad enough for you to try and get yourself killed?" My head snapped in the direction of the man. Through the rain, I saw silver hair.

"You are the jackass from this morning. What, almost killing us once wasn't good enough for you?" I ground out.

"I have no idea what you are talking about..." The man said.

"Don't play dumb. You came whipping around the corner this morning, almost killing me and Kagome." I marched up to him, and as I reached him, I realized that he wasn't the same guy from earlier.

"Or not. Sorry, but you look alot like the guy from earlier." I said.

"That would be because it was my little brother. It seems i have found the right people then."

"I'm wet, and cold. I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow, Kagome." I said, and turned away from the man.

"Nikki wait, my house is closer. You can spend the night." Kagome said. I turned towards her quickly, too quickly. I felt light headed and fell to the ground.

"Nikki, when was the last time you ate?" Kagome asked, kneeling next to me. I rolled on my back and let the rain hit me on the face.

"About two or three days." I muttered, my eyes already closing. I was soon asleep.

"You need to pick better spots to sleep." I opened my eys and looked blearily at Kagome.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, pushing myself into a sitting position.

"You passed out in the street last night."

"Then how'd I get here?" I was confused.

"The man we met last night was very nice and carried you back here." I rubbed my face, and froze when I didn't touch cloth.

"Where is my cloth?" I asked. She held it up, and I took it from her. I put it back on, feeling better.

"Why are you wearing that anyways?" She asked me as I got up and streched.

"Because." I said simply. She didn't push it anymore. My stomach growled loudly, and Kagome looked at it startled.

"Nikki, I think your stomach just growled at me." She backed away from me slowly. I just laughed.

"So I might be a little hungry."

"Come on, we have cereal downstairs." I followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen. I looked through her cupboards as she got two bowls and spoons.

"When'd Sango, Rin, and Ayume leave?" I asked sitting down at the table with the cereal I had grabbed.

"After you ran out, we split up to look for you becasue we had no idea what way you went. I called them once we were back home and told them that I had found you." She replied and took the box from me after I finished pouring out the cereal.

"Sorry about that." I said, looking down at my bowl. I was embaressed that I had broken down like that.

"Don't be." She said shortly. I kept silent, and began eating my food. We ate in silence and once we were finished, we dumped the bowls into the sink.

"So, are there any plans for today?" I asked and streched my arms towards the ceiling. It was the perfect strech, only to be ruined as Kagome poked me in the side. I shied away from her and glared. "That was the perfect strech, and you ruined it!" I told her, she just laughed.

"Well, I was thinking we could go to the mall, I need a new swimsuit, and I don't think you even have one." She answered my question.

"I have to run home first, I should let Mimi know where I am, and I need to change clothes, and I need to get money!"

"Ok, you do that, and I'll call Sango and have her pick everyone up and we'll meet at your house, ok?"

"K, when you guys get there, just walk in. You don't need to knock." I said, and headed towards the door.

"Will do, see you in a bit!" She called, and I ran out the door. My house was about ten blocks from Kagome's so I reached it about twelve minutes later. Mimi was just walking out the door.

"Hey Mimi!" I called while I was still half a block away. She turned and looked towards my voice, then she smiled.

"There you are, Nikato! I was getting worried when you didn't show up last night." She admonished me as I stopped in front of her.

"Sorry Mimi, Kagome wanted me to spend the night, and i forgot to call." I grinned at her.

"Well, as long as you were all right. What are you going to do today?" She asked as I walked her to the car.

"Kagome wants to go to the mall so she can buy a swimsuit. And she thinks she's going to get me to buy one as well." I opened her door for her.

"Nikato, you're treating me like an old lady again." Mimi said, and I looked startled.

"Sorry! I didn't realize that I was doing that!" I exclaimed.

"It's alright, just don't do it too much. Do you need any money?" I shook my head.

"No, I still have plently from the last time you gave me some." Despite what I said, she shoved a wallet into my hands.

"But I don't-" I tried giving it back, she shook her head.

"Don't even think about it. It's yours, spend on whatever you'd like. I have to get going, I'll see you later, and if you spend the night at someone elses' agian, make sure you call." She shut the door, and i waved at her as she pulled away from the curb. Looking at the wallet in my hand, I opened it and stared at the amount of money that was in it. There had to be at least 30,000 yen! 'I don't know how she is able to give me this much.' I thought as I headed into the house. I found a note on the table.

'Nikato, if you get home after I left, there is some money for you in the cupboard. I will be working late tonight, so you will have to fend for yourself. Have fun, I will see you later! Mimi.' I read it and shook my head. I decided not to go the cupboard. I went to my room and got a clean set of clothes. I took a very quick shower and got dressed. I was wearing a pale yellow shirt with sleeves that went to my elbows and a pair of blue jeans. I was attempting to brush my hair, but the brush kept getting caught on my mask. Frustrated I took the cloth off and threw it across the room. Then I returned to brushing my hair, and glared at my reflection in the mirror.

"Stupid idiotic scar." I muttered, and began to pull the brush harder as it hit snarls. I ripped it through the snarls, even though it hurt. I just ignored it, glaring at my reflection in the mirror, or more accurately at the scar.

"If you keep that up, you're not going to have any hair left." Sango's voice startled me enough to make me drop the brush.

"Hi." I said lamely, and bent to pick up my brush. I continued brushing my hair, but this time, I actually took the time to untangle the snarls. After a few minutes, I was done, and turned towards my door. Sango was still standing there, and she was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, she didn't say anything.

"What?" I said again, a little louder, once again she didn't say anything.

"WHAT?" I yelled at the top of my voice. That snapped her out of her daze. Her face turned red and her mouth opened and closed a few times, no sound coming out. I went up to her and gave her a small push, then I shut my door and locked it.

'I knew they'd treat me differently.' I thought and flopped down onto my bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Nikki, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that!" Sango called through my door. I heard feet running up the stairs and assumed everyone else had come up. The handle jiggled.

"That's not going to work, the door is locked." I said simply. The handle jiggled more, and I heard a small click. The door swung open to reveal Kagome kneeling down with a bobbie pin in her hand.

"When you have a little brother who loves to lock you out of your room, this comes in handy." She said simply as I stared at her. After a moment, I turned my head to look at the wall opposite the door.

"Nikki, I'm sorry, but you can't-" sango began.

"Can't what?" I spat out, sitting up, and looking at her. "Can't hope that my friends would actually keep their word and not treat me any differently? Can't pray that they won't stare at me like I'm a freak, just like everyone else does? I can't expect my friends to be any different? Oh, well then I am so sorry." I retorted, angrily. I stood up and stalked to the corner where the cloth had landed. I picked it up and went back to my mirror. I carefully put the cloth back on, making sure it was on straight, while calming myself down.

"You asked me earlier, Kagome why I wear this?" I asked, looking at them all in the mirror."It's because it makes things alot easier, and it gives me more confidence. When this is covering the scar, I know that people are treating me the way they are, because of me, not because of my scar. For all they know, it's just a weird fasion that I picked up somewhere, like having a mohawk, or dying my hair. They judge me by the way I act, not by the way I look. I get treated like any other high school student, and that's what I want." I looked away from them, and turned to face them. "Sango, sorry for yelling at you, I just don't like it when people stare at me, with that look on their face. Even though I told you guys about this, I don't want pity. I don't need it, and I've never wanted it."

"So let's go to the mall!" I exclaimed, my tone completly changing, showing that I was putting the incident behind me. "Kagome says she needs a new suit." They all nodded, and we went down the staris. On the way out the door, I made sure to grab the wallet and my house key. I locked the door behind me, and we all piled into Sango's car.

"You know Nikki, you'd look kind of funny if you had a mohawk." Rin commented as we pulled away from the curb. We started laughing.

"I'll take that as a compliment, I think!" I replied, still laughing. Rin shoved me, causing me to squash Ayume, who shoved me back. This started a shoving match, with me in the middle.

"I........feel....like.....a....teatherball...." I said as I was shoved back and forth. They kept this up till we reached the mall. "Finally, I'm free!" I exclaimed, falling to the ground dramatically after I got out of the car.

"My driving isn't that bad." Sango said indignantly.

"But combined with being shoved back and forth, it's like a roller coaster." I replied simply.

"Come on you goof." Kagome held out her hand and pulled me up.

"Fine then, but on the way home, I get front." I retorted. We entered the mall, teasing Sango of her driving. Kagome led us to this new store. In the window was a poster of a new contest.

"Singing Contest. If you win, you and four friends will be able to meet Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru Takahashi, and their band The Demons!" Rin read from the sign.

"Oh my god, I love their music! They are so good!" Ayume gushed.

"Me too! I have all of their cds'!" Sango agreed. Kagome and Rin jumped into the conversation, and they started arguing about which song was the best and which band member was the cutest.

"Well what do you think, Nikki?" Kagome asked me after ten minutes of this. I looked at her, lost. I had completly zoned out of their conversation.

"Um, what?"

"Which band member is cuter?"

"I have no idea, I've never seen them." They all looked at me shocked.

"You've never seen them? Have you heard any of their songs?" Rin asked.

"Nope." I replied, and they were dumbfounded.

"Why not?" Rin asked.

"Never wanted to." I said simply.

"Well we have to change that. So are we going to try this thing out?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know. I can't really sing." Ayume said.

"Same here." The others agreed, and then they turned to me, I was humming a song absentmindedly.

"Ummm, I don't like the way you guys are looking at me." I said nervously.

"Nikki, how well can you sing?" Kagome asked, in a scary calm voice.

"Umm, why?" I backed away slowly as the other girls got the same look on their faces.

"Come to think of it, I've never heard you sing, Nikki." Rin said.

"Neither have I. Sing us a song, Nikki." Ayume added.

"Um, I don't really think that now is the time. I'm sure you guys can win the contest. I don't need to sing." I replied hurriedly.

"We'll see about that. This contest starts in two days, we can sign up until then. After we are done shopping, we'll go to a kareoke bar and see who should enter. That will settle it. Now come on, we're running out of day light!" Kagome exclaimed, and led us into the store.

We shopped for another five hours. Kagome got like five different swimsuits, and alot of clothes. Rin got a few books, two new pairs of shoes, and a new swimsuit. Sango got a new swimsuit, a few pairs of jeans, and some more make-up. Ayume bought a bunch of cds', including the Demon's new cd. I got a few books and was talked into getting a one-piece swimsuit. Kagome and Sango had tried to get me to buy a two piece, but I refused. Laden with bags, we went back to Sango's car and threw everything into the trunk. I slid into the front seat next to Sango, and the other three piled into the back.

Sango pulled out of the spot and onto the street at such a speed that had me clutching the door in fear.

"Um Sango, I think you should slow down a bit." I managed to say as she sped through the streets.

"I want to get to the place before all the good rooms are taken!" She replied, and sped up even more. Once the car screeched to a stop, I jumped out, and clung to the car to keep upright, the other three were right behind me.

"Sango, next time, I drive." I managed to say as she got out of the car. She had almost hit three cars, and flipped the car twice. "And I'm never riding with you when you're mad." I added as an after thought.

"Come on you babies, I've been driving for two years, and I haven't hit anyone yet." She said as we headed into the building.

"The key word in that sentence is yet." I retorted. We got a room and filed in. Kagome selected the first song and began to sing. She wasn't bad, in face I thought she was pretty good. When she was done, we all clapped and cheered. Ayume was next, to say the least she's tone-deaf. I clapped anyways.

"See, that's why i can't sing in the competition, I'm completly tone-deaf." She said as she handed the mic to Sango. She picked her song, and took a deep breath. She was good too, and she didn't think so. Rin was next, and she was very good.

"See, I don't need to sing, you guys can win the contest, hands down!" I exclaimed as Rin tried to hand me the mic.

"Nice try, but it's your turn. Now get up there and pick a song." Kagome said.

"But I suck!" I tried.

"Oh well, we are all friends, we won't laugh. Now go!" sango said, and pushed me up. I looked through the songs, trying to find one I knew. An english one caught my eye. It was called Stand, by Rascal Flatts. I remember listening to it when I lived in the states, I had loved it. I picked that one and stood nervously as the music began. It had been translated into Japenese, but I liked it better in English, so that's how I sung it. When I was done, they were silent.

"See I told you I suck." I said, and put the mic down.

"That was the farthest thing from sucking that i've ever heard!" Rin exclaimed.

"yeah! You will totally win the contest!" Sango exclaimed.

"We get to meet the Demons!" Kagome squealed.

"Um..." I began, but they ignored me.

"Do you think they will be even cuter in person?" Rin asked Ayume.

"I can't wait to meet Kouga! He's so dreamy!" Ayume sighed.

"I want to meet Shippou, he's so smart, and his green eyes are gorgeous!" Rin added.

"Excuse me!" I said again, they all stopped their talking and looked at me. "I never said I'd be in the contest!" I exclaimed.

"Please Nikki, you have too!" Rin pleaded.

"Yeah, it's been my dream to meet the Demons for like two years, and this is my chance!" Ayume added.

"Come on, please Nikki!" Kagome begged.

"Please please please please please please! And don't you want to meet them? They are really cute!" Sango tried. they all looked at me with such pleading eyes I felt my resolve slipping. I heaved a sigh.

"Fine, but I'm only doing it because it means so much to you guys." I said, and was instantly tackled by four excited girls.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Kagome and Rin exclaimed.

"You are a great friend!" Sango added.

"I can't believe that we get to meet the Demons!" Ayume cried. I was at the bottom of the pile and being squashed.

"Can't.......breathe.......being........squashed!" I managed to say, and they all got off.

"If you kill me, I can't be in the contest!" I gasped.

"Sorry!" The four girls choursed. Sango and Rin pulled me to my feet and I rubbed my torso.

"You could have bruised a rib!" I said startled. They all grinned at me sheepishly.

"Once again, sorry." Kagome said.

"I'm just so excited!" Rin exclaimed.

"I haven't won yet, we don't even know if I'm going to win!"

"You will, because you are amazing!" Ayume assured me, but I didn't believe her.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER

"Come on Nikki, you don't want to be late!" Kagome called up the stairs. I was in my room, looking at myself nervously in the mirror. I was wearing a blue shirt with sleeves that went to my elbows, and over it was a black t-shirt. I had jeans on as well, Kagome had done my hair in a simple but neat ponytail, leaving out my bangs. I had refused the make-up Sango had tried putting on me.

"Why won't you wear it?" She had asked me.

"Because I don't want to." I said stubbornly. She sighed and gave up. Now it was two hours later, and I was very nervous.

"Nikki, come on!" Rin said from by my door.

"I don't think I can do this." I said, and she came over. Slinging her arm across my shoulders, she looked at me through the mirror.

"Of course you can. You are just nervous, and that's perfectly normal. Now come on, you know how Sango drives if she fells she's rushed." That got me to leave the room, I flew down the stairs and was out by the car.

"I'm ready!" I called, and saw the four of them stick their heads out of the door. "Come on slow pokes!" I yelled, and laughed at the indignanat looks they gave me. We all piled into the car, and Sango made her way to the mall. I had convinced her to drive at a normal, safe pace....for once.

"This is it, are you ready?" Kagome asked as we headed towards the area where the contest was taking place.

"No, not really." I said, my heart was racing.

"You'll do fine. Here, don't forget your cd." Rin shoved my cd into my hand. They waved to me and went to find seats. The song I was going to sing was another Rascal Flatts song. It was 'My Wish'. I went and registered. I was given the number twenty-five. That was my number. I made my way backstage, and nervously stood by a group of girls. 'Maybe I shouldn't be doing this.' I thought, and decided to peek through the curtains. That was a mistake, there were tons of people there, alot more than what I was comfortable with. 'I can't do this!' I thought panicedly as i backed away from the curtain.

"Oh look who it is! Masky, how are you?" I hated that voice. I turned towards Kikyou and saw her surrounded by four other girls.

"Oh it's the fake barbie!" I retorted. "Are you in this contest too?" I asked, faking politeness.

"Duh, and i'm going to win!" She said. "So you might as well drop out now, because there is no way that I'm going to lose to a bitch like you." She shot at me.

"OOOh so scared!" I said sarcastically. "I'm not going to drop out just because you told me too. What makes you so sure you are going to win?"

"Because I'm me! Duh! And my competition is a bunch of low lives. I simply just have to win!" My eyebrow ticked at her calling me a low life, I clenched my hand into a fist, desperately wanting to punch her.

"Gather round girls!" A man called from the center of the backstage area. We did as we were told, and I saw that there were about thirty girls with numbers on. "Ok, so as you know, who ever wins this competition gets to meet the Demons." Most of the girls started cheering. "But there's a hitch in the plan. The top two people will be invited, with the four people of their choice, to live with the band for a month. At the end of it, it will be decided between the two who gets to stay for the rest of the summer. At the end of the summer, the band has the right to decide if they want the winner to join the band." This got even more noise. "But remember, if you are found cheating or anything, you will be immediately disqualified. Good luck to everyone, will the first contestent please step forward." A small girl, who appeared to be ten stepped forward, and followed the man out to the stage. I clutched the cd tighter as I heard her sing. She was very good, i was impressed. When she was done, the audience clapped and cheered her off the stage.

"Hey," I said, catching hold of her arm as she went by. "You sounded really good! What's your name?" I asked her. She looked at me with large brown eyes framed by light brown hair and glasses.

"Ayume." She said in a small voice.

"I'm Nikato, but call me Nikki. I have a friend named Ayume, actually." I smiled at her, talking to someone was helping me calm down.

"Really? Is she here today?" I sat down against the wall, and she sat next to me.

"Yeah, she's out in the audience. Do you have anyione out in the audience for you?" I asked. She shook her head sadly.

"No, I don't have any friends." She said softly.

"You do now! I'll be your friend, if you'll let me." I told her, I felt bad for her.

"Really?" She asked, surprised.

"Yep." I told her, and she grinned at me, showing her braces.

"Oh look it here. It seems the losers flock together." Kikyou laughed as if she had said the funniest thing in the world. "I just heard you on stage, and I don't even know why you joined this contest. You absolutely suck!" She shot at Ayume. Ayume looked down, tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm surprised you know that big of a word, Kikyou. Buzz off Kikyou. Ayume will beat you because she has talent. You are just a fake barbie doll with absolutely no talent." I retorted. Kikyou smirked at me, and walked off, her groupies following her.

I looked at Ayume, and saw she was crying.

"Hey, cheer up. Don't listen to what kikyou said, you didn't suck. You were really good." I lifted her chin to make her look at me, and wiped her face off.

"Really?" She asked me in a quavering voice.

"Really." I said smiling, she gave me a smile and I laughed.

"There we go!" We talked about a lot of different things as we were waiting for my turn.

"Twenty-five, you are next. Get ready!" A voice called, and I looked up.

"I'm up." I said softly, and felt my hands start to shake. 'Why am I doing this? i usually try to avoid things like this, am I crazy?' I thought as I got up and handed the cd to the guy running the stereo.

"It's track number seven." I told him and stood nevously waiting to be signaled on stage.

"Next is Nikato Tomoshi, give it up for her!" The announcer said, and that was my signal. I slowly made my way onto the stage, and my breath caught in my throat. 'Oh that's alot of people!' I thought as I stared at the crowd. I took a deep breath. 'I have to do this for my friends.' I nodded to the guy who was in control of the stereo, and I heard the familiar music start to play. I took a deep breath and began to sing.

Once I was done, I stood there, I was still shaking. The audience began to clap and cheer, and I heard Kagome yell my name. I made my way off stage, and took another deep breath. Ayume ran and hugged me around the waist.

"That was amazing Nikki!" She exclaimed, I looked down at the top of her head, and grinned.

"Ya think?" I asked.

"Yeah! You are definetly gonna win." She said excitedly.

"Nah, if anything, I'll be second while you are first!" I told her. She just hugged me tighter. The rest of the girls went, but I didn't hear them. I was too busy talking to Ayume, my new friend.

"Ok, the judges have decided. Girls, please come out here!" The announcer called. Ayume and I stood next to each other. "As the contestants were already told earlier, the top two will be selected, and with their four friends each, they will live with the band for a month..." He was inturrupted by screams from the girls on stage, and the ones in the audience. I winced and covered my ears, Ayume did the same. After a minute, they quieted down and he could continue. "At the end of the month, one girl and her friends will get to remain with the band for the remainder of the summer, the others will go home. Now to the winners!" A young man came on the stage carrying a white envelope. The announcer took it and opened it.

"In second place, we have Kikyou Ukade!" The crowd cheered, and she looked shocked. "Congratulations Kikyou. Now in first place, we......have a tie! Between Ayume Nakamoto and Nikato Tomoshi, congratulations you two!" Ayume and I looked at each other, shocked. Then it sunk in, and she clung to me, jumping up and down.

"We won Nikki! We won!" She cried. Kikyou looked outraged.

"I told you you would beat her!" I told Ayume and hugged her back. As she pulled away, I was tackled by my friends who had just climbed onto the stage.

"You did it, Nikki! You won!" Sango yelled.

"We get to meet the Demons!" The other three cried. Once again I was on the bottom of the pile and being squashed.

"Can't....breathe....." I muttered, and they all got off of me. I took a deep breath and glared at them.

"You have to quit doing that!" I told them sternly, they looked sheepish.

"Sorry, oh Ayume! Congratulations!" Kagome swept the girl into a hug.

"Ummm, thank you?" The poor girl was startled.

"Kagome, release the child." I said sternly.

"Sorry!" She squeaked as Ayume hid behind me.

"Poor Ayume! You scared her, Kagome!" I said. Kagome went red faced, and Ayume stepped forward to peer at the girl behind my back.

"You're Ayume as well?" She asked. Young Ayume nodded.

"So am I! This could get confusing if we both have the same name...." She trailed off.

"I got it! We'll call the big Ayume, Ay, and the little Ayume, Ayume!" Sango exclaimed.

"Sure, works for me." The girls said at the same time.

"Ok, oh Ayume, this is Kagome, Rin, Sango, and you've already met Ayume, I mean Ay. Guys this is my newest friend Ayume!" I introduced them, and stepped to the side so Ayume couldn't hide behind me anymore.

"Nice to meet you!" She squeaked, and tried to hide behind me again.

"Not uh, these guys are your friends as well." I told her, and she sighed.

"If I could have your attention please!" The announcer called, and I looked towards him. All the other girls had left, and the only ones remaining were Kikyou and her group. "Please return here in two hours. There will be a limo to bring you to the house you will be staying in in the back. You will need these cards to get in." He held out a bunch of cards, and they were passed out among us. "Everyone got one?" We all nodded. "Okay then, see you in two hours!" He waved us off, and Sango led the way to her car. About half way out, I realized that Ayume wasn't following us. I looked back and saw her still standing at the stage.

"Ayume, come on! We'll give you a ride!" She grinned and ran towards me. We all went to Sango's car, and it was decided that on being the smallest, Ayume would sit in the middle of the front. I climbed in next to her, and the other three piled into the back. Immediately, I buckled up, as did Kagome, Rin, and Ay. Ayume looked at us, questioningly.

"If you value your life, buckle up, Sango is a crazy driver." Kagome cautioned. Ayume quickly buckled herself in.

"Oh come on, I'm not that horrible, don't lie to the child!" Sango protested.

"It's not a lie." I retorted. "So where do you live, Ayume?" I asked her. She said the address, and I realized that it was about two blocks from me. "So if Sango drops us off there, you can get your stuff, and then we'll walk to my house so I can get mine. Then we can walk to Kagome's and Sango can pick us up from there, does that work?" I asked. They nodded. Sango dropped me and Ayume off first and told us to be at Kagomes in an hour and a half.

"I don't want to be late." She said simply when I questioned her.

"If we had five minutes to get someplace twenty minutes away, you'd get us there with a minute to spare." I informed her as I closed the door. She glared at me, and then drove off. I turned to follow Ayume to her house.

"Ignore the mess, it hasn't been cleaned lately." She said shyly as she opened the door.

"I don't mind messes, it reminds me of my old house. It was always messy there." I said as I stepped inside. Something made me freeze inside the door. Something about the house seemed very familiar, and a trickle of fear went up my spine. I quickly shook off the feeling and followed her to her room.

"I like your room." I said as she went to her closet. She pulled out a bag and began throwing clothes in it. Her room was painted pink with a light purple as the borders. Across the trim were music notes and staffs. She had an electric piano in the corner, and a guitar case next to it. "Do you play?" I asked, indicating to the guitar.

"No, it used to be my moms. It was given to me after she died...."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She shrugged, and continued shoving clothes into her bag. Once it was stuffed full, she went to the guitar case and slung it across her back. Then she picked up the bag and turned to me.

"My mom designed my room too....I'm ready to go." I nodded and we headed back outside. As soon as I stepped out into the fresh air, I felt better. Halfway down the block, we heard the screech of brakes. I turned to look, and saw Ayume's face go white. She took off to the next block, running pretty fast. I looked at her surprised.

"Hey, wait up!" I called, running to catch up with her. I finally did at the beginning of my block. "Why'd you run?" I asked, she shook her head. I looked at her, concerned, but she ignored the look. She refused to say anythign about it, so I dropped it for now. I led the way to my house and unlocked the door.

"Come in, and feel free to put your stuff down anywhere." I said, holding the door open for her. I went to my room, and she was following me. I went to my closet and pulled a duffle bag out. Then I began to throw random clothes in, about six outfits worth. Then I went to my dresser and pulled open a drawer. My brush, deoderant, toothbrush, tooth paste, some ponytails, and another mask that I had gotten from Mimi went in the bag as well. Then I put some books in, as well as a few notebooks and pens. Surprisingly, I still had room. I was about to zip it closed when I remembered that i should bring a few sweaters and my swimsuit. Those were added to my bag and then it was zipped up. I gave a quick glance over my room and deemed that I had everyting I needed. The I hefted the strap over my shoulder, so that it went across my body. I shifted it into a more comfortable position and turned to Ayume.

"I'm ready!" She was busy looking at my bedside table. "Ayume?" I asked, she didn't respond. I went over to see what she was looking at. She had somehow located the small bracelet I always kept by my bed. As she picked it up, I felt my breath hitch and snatched it away from her. She looked at me, startled.

"Sorry, it's really precious to me." I explained, my voice soft. I opened the drawer and took out a small box. Opening it, I tenderly laid the bracelet in it, and then closed the lid. The box was put into a seperate pocket of my bag.

"I'm ready, let's get heading to Kagome's. We have half an hour left, and Sango hates if she's rushed." I said. Ayume nodded, and we left the house after I wrote a quick note to Mimi explaining where I was and how long I'd be gone. She already gave me permission so I wasn't too worried about her. We walked in silence, I knew she was still a little hurt over my reaction to grabbing the bracelet away like that.

"Ayume...." I began, and then hesitated, not sure of how to continue. I had just met the girl, but it felt like I had known her for a life time.

"Nikki, don't tell me now. I don't want to hear it. Tell me later, when you've had time to think of it. Then i know that you actually want to tell me.. Besides, I'm sure you have a very good reason for acting like you did. I'll race you to Kagomes!" She started to run, and I looked after her startled. 'She doesn't act like an ordinary ten year old.' I thought, and started after her. By the time we reached the shrine, we were both out of breath, but we were laughing.

Sango was pulling up as we climbed the steps. She honked the horn, and we turned around. We shoved our bags into her trunk and claimed the good seats before Kagome could. She came running down the stairs, almost wiping out at the bottom. Her bag flew out of her hands, and I caught it before it hit the ground.

"You've got to be more careful, Kagome. Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself on these steps." I told her as I put her bag in the trunk. I let her climb into the middle of the back seat and then slid in beside her. Once everyone was in, we headed back to the mall.

"What do you rhink it's going to be like meeting them?" Ay asked excitedly.

"I don't know, but I'm so excited!" Sango squealed and the car began to drift towards the center line of the street.

"Sango, pay attention!" I said, and she righted the car. We made it to the mall without any other mishaps. Sango opened the trunk, and we grabbed our bags. Then we headed towards a huge limo, that I could only assume was for us. Kikyou was already there. She had Eri, Jeoni, Kagura, and Kanna with her. In my opinion they were all losers who had nothing better to do then to tear others down. I didn't really like them.

"Ok, is everyone here? Great. Now if you would please climb into the car, and we can start on out way to the house. It's about a two hour drive, so be ready." The man said, and climbed into the front seat. We got into a line, and filed into the car, showing the card we had gotten earlier. Ay, Ayume, Kagome, Rin, Sango, and I claimed the seats closest to the front of the car. I had never been in a limo before, and I was amazed. There were two tvs with satellite, a mini fridge, and another tv connected to the newest game system. After the initial excitement wore off, I began to feel tired. I yawned, and leaned back into the seat.

"I'm going to sleep, make sure the fake dolls don't do anything to me while I sleep please." I told Sango, she laughed and nodded. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"Nikki, wake up, we're here!" I was being shaken and Kagome yelled in my ear. I winced as I went temporarily deaf, and opened my eyes.

"Your point? Couldn't you have said that without yelling in my ear?" I asked, annoyed.

"Probably, but this works too! I can't believe that we get to meet them!!!!" She said.

"Oh please, once they see me, they aren't going to be interested in a bunch of ugly girls like you." Kikyou snarled. I was very tempted to punch her. My fist clenched, and I began to get up. Hands held me down.

"Leave it Nikki." Rin hissed at me. I glared at Kikyou sullenly.

"Yeah, leave it, _Nikki._" She spat out my name like it was something disgusting. "You couldn't win against me anyways." She added as she climbed out of the car. I pulled agaisnt the hands that held me, and followed her quickly. I squinted in the bright light, and located her. As I started heading towards her, Ayume stepped in front of me.

"Nikki, please don't start a fight!" She pleaded, I looked down at her anxious face and sighed.

"Fine, but if she continues, I can't guarantee that I will be able to stop myself." I told her, and shifted my bag into a more comfortable position.

"That's all we ask." Kagome said. I moved back towards my friends and helped them with their bags.

"Over here, girls!" The man from earlier called. We headed towards him and stopped, forming a semi-circle around him. "The band will be out here any minute. Now you will live in this house," He indicated to the huge house behind him. "The rules are as such. No fighting, if you are the one who started it, you and your friends will be asked to leave immediately. No one is allowed in the band's personal rooms unless asked in there by the rooms owner. You each will have your own room, so please respect each others privacy and don't go into a room that is not yours. The rest of the house is open to everyone. Feel free to wander around the yards. Breakfast is at eight o' clock. If you want something before then, feel free to go to the kitchen. It is required that everyone shows up for dinner at six o' clock p.m. The band doesn't like tardiness. The rest will be explained by the band members." He finished.

"Oi, Myouga, are you already boring them to sleep?" I turned towards the voice and glared at who I saw.

"Hey it's the jackass from a few days ago!" I said loudly. The man in question came towards us down the path. He looked at me, and glared back at me.

"Who are you calling a jackass, wench?" He growled. He had silver hair that went to his shoulders and golden eyes, which were presently narrowed at me.

"Nikki-" Kagome hissed.

"I'm calling you a jackass, jackass. And don't call me a wench, my name is Nikki, use it." I shot back, not giving in.

"Do you know who I am?" He growled at me.

"A jackass?" I ventured a guess.

"Nikki, that's Inuyasha Takahashi." Sango hissed as painful fingers dug into my arm. I looked back at her surprised.

"Inuyasha Takahashi, as in _the_ Inuyasha Takahashi." I made my voice sound awed. I looked back at him, my eyes wide. "Oh, I'm so sorry-"

"That's better wench." He said.

"I'm sorry that...." My voice changed back to its origional tone. "That you are such a jackass!" I retorted. He stared at me stunned, and the grip on my arm really started to hurt.

"Nikki, behave or I will personally throw you into a lake!" Kagome warned.

"I'll help." The other girls choursed.

"You little brat." Inuyasha said, coming up to me. We stood nose to nose, well tried to, he was a good four inches taller than me. "Take that back."

"Make me." I retorted, and my arm was yanked back. "That is attached you know." I told Sango as she gripped my arm.

"They aren't here for even five minutes and you already picked a fight with one of the winners." A voice drawled. I recognized it immediately.

"Wait a minute the pervert from school is in the band?" I asked as I stepped around Inuyasha. I saw Miroku coming towards us.

"It's Nikki, my favorite lab partner!" He exclaimed, and spread his arms as if to hug me.

"Freeze Miroku, or I will hit you." I said simply. He froze about a foot from me, his arms still outstreched. "If you can keep your hands in an appropriate place, I'll hug you. If not, then I will hit you so hard, you will wake up in about four hours tied to the top of a limo cruising down the highway, deal?" I asked. His arms dropped to his side. "I thought so." I said.

"He was in your class, and you never told us?" Rin screeched in my ear.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know he's famous? I've never listened to the band or seen pictures!" I said in my defense.

"Then it's a good thing you came here to meet us." Inuyasha sneered at me. I rounded on him.

"The only reason I entered the contest was because my friends wanted to meet your band. I don't know what kind of band has a pervert and a jackass in it though." I remarked. Inuyahsa's eyebrow ticked at me, and he glared. I matched him stare for stare, refusing to give in.

"Inuyasha, control your temper." A cool voice said, and I heard the girls start to scream.

"Oh my god, it's the whole band in one place!" Kikyou screeched. I rolled my eyes at their reactions and turned towards the voice. Three more people were coming towards us down the hill. The tallest one had silver hair and grey eyes, so I assumed he was Inuyasha's older brother Sesshoumaru. To his left there was a boy, a little shorter, but not by much. He had jet black hair, and dancing blue eyes. To Sesshoumaru's right, was a boy about my height with brown hair, and merry green eyes. I remembered that Rin had said Shippou had green eyes, so I figured he was him. That left the man with black hair to be Kouga. I had to admit, they all weren't too hard on the eyes, but I didn't let that sway me. So far my first impression of the band wasn't a great one.

"Which of you guys are the winners?" Sesshoumaru asked. Ayume, Kikyou, and I stepped forward.

"Allow me to introduce our second place winner, Kikyou Ukade." She smiled, and batted her eyelashes, it almost made me gag. "And our first place winners Nikato Tomoshi and Ayume Nakamoto." I nodded my head in their direction as Ayume stared at the band members in shock. Her mouth was open so I gave her a little push. She shook her head and snapped out of it.

"Please intoduce your friends!" Kouga said, a smile playing at his lips. I heard Ay sigh behind me. I went first.

"This is Sango Taijiya." I pointed to Sango. "Kagome Higurashi." I indicated to Kagome. "Rin Fukuro." I pointed towards Rin. "And Ayume Montoyma, but since she has the same name as little Ayume here, we are just calling her Ay." I said as I pointed towards Ay. All the girls were red, and in shock. I don't think that they had ever let it sink in that the were going to meet the Demons. I didn't understand why they were getting all tongue-tied, but I suppose it was just them being normal teenage girls.

"This is Eri and Jeoni Numera. And those two are Kagura and Kanna Nero." Kikyou said, not even pointing to them as she said their names. She was too busy making googly eyes at Inuyasha.

"Nice to meet all of you. Please bring your bags and follow us up the hill." Sesshoumaru said, and turned around. He started up the hill, and we followed. Miroku fell into step beside me.

"So you won the contest, huh? I didn't know you could sing." He told me.

"And you're in a band, one of the most popular bands out there apparently, how come you weren't treated differently in school?" I asked.

"Becuase the class you walked into is taught by my uncle. He made the whole class sign a contract at the beginning of the year that they couldn't tell anyone that I was going to school there."

"How come I never had to sign it?" I asked, and felt a hand on my butt. My face turned red, and I whipped around, punching him hard in the cheek. He landed with a thump three feet away. His band members started laughing at the sight of him, except Sesshoumaru. He kept his face a cool mask.

"Nikki!" Kagome said outraged.

"Kagome, do you remember the kid I told you guys about in my science class? The one who was a pervert and I hit at least ten times a week?" I asked, turning to look at them. They nodded. "Well this is him. I'm not going to let him touch me where ever he feels like, just because he's famous!" I said.

"And that is why you didn't have to sign a contract." Miroku said from the ground. Sango moved to help him up. As she did, I saw Miroku extending a hand.

"I wouldn't do-" I began but it was too late. Sango let out a screech and punched him. He was passed out cold, and Sango was standing by me, her face completly red. "She hits harder than I do, Miroku." I said and then continued up the hill. Everyone else was still staring in shock at the unconcious Miroku, and Inuyasha, Kouga, and Shippou were still laughing. I caught up to Sesshoumaru and walked by him. I studied him out of the corner of my eye. He was tall, and his muscles were well defined as shown by the dark blue shirt he was wearing. It was a perfect fit for him. His silver hair went down to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Right now he had it tucked elegantly behind his ears. In the sunlight, I could see a chain around his neck as the sun hit it.

"Do you want something?" He asked, obviously he had noticed my observation of him.

"I wanted to thank you for a few nights ago. It was nice of you to carry me back to Kagome's even though I called you a jackass." I said simply.

"It was no problem, and besides technically you were calling my brother a jackass, not me." He answered. His tone didn't change, it was still calm and collected.

"Still." I said. He didn't say anything. We reached the house and waited in silence for the rest to catch up with us. Ayume, Rin, and Shippou were the first ones to emerge over the hill. Ayume and Shippou were supporting Rin on each side.

"What happened?" I asked worriedly.

"That stupid little bastard Jeoni tripped me, causing me to twist my ankle." Rin said angrily.

"She's a little mad about it." Ayume told me, in an undertone. I laughed, I think a little was a massive understatment. Shippou and Ayume got Rin settled down on the steps, and we waited for everyone else. After five minutes, I began to get bored.

"What's taking them so long?" Ayume wondered. I shrugged, and went to the hill. I looked down and was stunned at what I saw. Ay, Kagome, and Sango were all arguing with Kikyou, Jeoni, Kanna, Kagura, and Eri, while Kouga, Inuyasha, and Miroku were all staring at them stunned. From where I stood, it looked like Ay, Kagome, and Sango were winning.

"Sango! Ay! Kagome! Get up here and leave the fake barbies alone!" I called, and they looked to me. I motioned for them to come, and they did. They jogged up the hill to join me.

"What were you guys arguing about?" I asked as they neared me.

"Nothin'." Kagome said and grinned at me.

"And you told me to behave." I laughed, and we went back to where Rin and Ayume were.

"Are you all right, Rin?" Kagome asked, sitting next to her.

"Yeah, it's just twisted. I'll be fine in a minute....so what were you guys arguing about?" At this point we had been completely ignoring everyone else.

"Nothin'." Sango replied.

"You guys are liars, what were you arguing about?" I asked.

"Well.....Kikyou said-" Kagome started.

"Figures." I muttered.

"Technically we weren't arguing, it was more like we were yelling at them." Sango added.

"Why?" I asked.

"All right, now that everyone had decided to join us, we will show you around the house." Sesshoumaru said before anyone could answer me. The rest of the group had found us and we were ready to continue. I hitched my bag into a better position on my shoulder and followed everyone in. The house was amazing!

"To the right, you will find the living room. To the left is the dining room and kitchen." Sesshoumaru said indiacating to the two open doors on either side of the hall. "The other rooms on this floor is for the servants, do not go into them." He said sternly. He then led us up the stairs. There were three doors at the top. One in front of us, and one on either side. "Through that door, you will find a hallway with six rooms in it. Those all are bedrooms. On the other side is another hallway with six rooms, all bedrooms. Through the door right there, is the way to the third floor. None of you are allowed up there without permission from one of us. Feel free to claim a room, and put your things away. Explore the house if you would like as well. Dinner is at six. Don't be late." He said and swept through the door to the third floor. Kikyou and her group ran to the right, so Ay, Ayume, Kagome, Rin, Sango, and I claimed the rooms on the other side.

* * *

When I entered the room I was staying in, I was stunned. It was huge! My bed alone could fit three people plus me! I had a balcony but I decided to investigate it later. I put my bag on the floor, and sank onto the bed. It was so comfortable! After a few minutes I got up and decided to unpack my bag. I put it on the bed, and dumped all the clothes I had thrown in there. It took me all of ten minutes to get my clothes put away, my brush and ponytails put on the dresser, the books on my bedside table. My toiletries were in a dresser drawer to themselves, and my notebooks and pens occupied another one. The last item from my bag was laying on my bed, and my bag was stored neatly under the bed. I sat down, and slowly drew the small box towards me. I opened it, and looked at the tiny braclet inside. I felt immense sadness well up inside of me, and I immediately closed the box. I placed it under my pillow, and took a deep breath, calming myself.

The door was thrown open, and I looked up sharply.

"Nikki, you've got to see this!" Kagome exclaimed, and grabbed my hand, pulling me off my bed and out of the room. She led me to hers, and directed me out onto a balcony. The view was amazing.

"Wow, that is awesome!" I told her.

"I know! It's beautiful!" She sighed, and I laughed.

"I'm going to go look around, wanna join me?"I asked, she shook her head. "All right, don't be late for dinner." I told her over my shoulder as I left the room. I went down the hall, and down the stairs. I made my way down the stairs and into the living room. It had a huge tv, and a very large collection of movies. I saw at least four new game systems. That didn't intrest me much. I saw a door on the other side of the room, and went over to it.

I opened it, and was shocked at how many books I saw in this room. There were several comfy-looking armchairs, and a few sofas. Also there were a few tables so you could have several books spread out. I went to the nearest shelf and scanned the titles, I was impressed with the collection. There were several books that were hard to find in any bookstore, and they were ones I had been wanting to read. As much as I wanted to grab a book and read, I knew I probably shouldn't. As I was about to leave the room, a book at the top of a bookshelf caught my eye. It was a book of fairy tales, I hadn't read it since I was eight years old. I began to go towards it, but a bell sounded through out the house. Sighing, I decided I would come back for it later, and turned on my heel, walking out of the room.

I was the first one into the dining room, so I picked a chair at the huge table, and sat down. I was staring at the table top, when I heard a door open. A hendsome young man came into the room, carrying a bunch of plates and cups. They were stacked haphazardly, and were in dire threat of tipping over. I saw a bump in the carpet, but the man couldn't. I leapt up out of my chair, and rushed to him. As he tripped on it, I put myself in front of him, and steadied him so he didn't fall with all the dishes, then I took the plates he had on top of the cups and put them on the table.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed, smiling as I helped unload his arms.

"No problem, what were you doing carrying so many dishes?" I asked him.

"Well I know how mad Sesshoumaru gets if dinner isn't ready at six, so I wanted to hurry up. That bell means that there is half an hour till six." He said as he began to set the table quickly. I helped him, and grabbed a cup that he almost dropped on the floor.

"Don't you have anyone to help you?" I asked, as I put the cup in a safer position.

"Not today, Bankotsu is sick, and he was going to come in anyways, but I told him to stay home and rest because I could handle it. And I don't want to let him down!" He said spiritedly.

"I'll help." I told the man simply, and he hugged me. I stiffeded at the touch, and almost immediately he pulled away.

"Oh I'm sorry! I'm just so glad you'll help me! My name is Jakotsu, by the way." He said.

"Nikki, and it's all right. What do you still need done?" I asked, and he grabbed my hand, leading me into the kitchen. As I helped him finish supper, he told me about himself. I learned that he was twenty and an excellent cook. Also he was in love with Bankotsu, but didn't know how to tell him. He talked basically the whole time, I just listened. I didn't really mind, because he was so interesting to talk too, even just listen too. He'd be on one subject, but as soon as a different thought popped into his mind, he'd talk about that, even if it had nothing to do with the previous one. I found myself laughing without meaning too. Before I knew it, another bell sounded, and Jakotsu ushered me out of the kitchen.

"I can help serve!" I protested as the door was closed.

"No. You've help enough, go sit down, Nikki." He told me sternly, and I laughed as he brandished a wooden spoon at me when I tried to enter the kitchen.

"All right, I'm going! But I'm taking the salad out with me!" I told him, and grabbed the two big bowls, balancing one of each hand carefully. I slowly made my way out to the table, and was just about there when a foot tried to trip me. Skillfully, and luckily, I managed to set the bowls down without spilling them. I looked at who had tried to trip me and wasn't surprised.

"Kikyou, we've gone through this before. You have to be better than that to beat me." I told her simply and slid into a seat between Rin and Kagome. Shippou was sitting to Rin's left, and I was to her right. On my right was Kagome. Sango sat next to Kagome, and Miroku sat on Sango's other side. Next to Miroku was Kikyou, I felt bad for him. Across the table from us was Ayume, Kouga, Ay, Jeoni, Eri, Kanna, and Kagura. Sesshoumaru sat at one end of the table, next to Shioppou and Ayume. Inuyasha sat at the other end, stuck between Kagura and Kikyou. I didn't feel bad for him, because he's still a jackass. Jakotsu came out of the kitchen, pushing a cart full of food. There was a pot roast and a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, several steaks, meatloaf, corn, beans, and some apples. He quickly set those on the table and then hurried back into the kitchen.

"What's taking so long for all the food to be done? I'm starving!" Jeoni whined.

"Oh shut up, Jeoni." Ay groaned.

"Watch it, bitch." Jeoni hissed back. I sighed, not even a minute together in the same room, a fight was already starting.

"Unless you guys want to get kicked out of the house, shut it, both of you. We were told the rules when we got here. Any fighting, and the person or people who started it will be asked to leave." I said and recieved glares from several people. I ignored all of them and helped myself to some salad. The salad was passed around, and then the pot roast, and potatoes. I loaded my plate, because I was starving. Jakotsu came back into the room, his cart now filled with beverages. He went around the table, asking each of us what we wanted. As he came to me, I grinned, and asked for lemonade.

"What about Jakotsu? When are you going to eat?" I asked as he started to head back to the kitchen.

"I will eat after you guys are done." He answered with a quick glance to Sesshoumaru.

"That's nonsense, why can't you eat now?" I asked.

"Because." Jakotsu replied. That didn't answer my question.

"That's not a very good answer. We can fit you in at the table. It isn't fair that we eat all this food that you worked so hard to prepare, and you don't get to enjoy it with us!" I said, a little miffed.

"He doesn't eat with us." Inuyasha said snidely. "Him and his fag boyfriend eat in the kitchen, where servants are supposed too." He added. Jakotsu's fist tightened, and I knew he wanted to defend Bankotsu. I beat him to it. I shoved my chair back, and went to Inuyasha.

"Huh, my first opinion of you was right. You are a jackass through and through." I punched him in the face, his head snapping to the side.

"What the hell was that for?!" Inuyasha snapped.

"First it was for insulting Jakotsu and Bankotsu. Just because they work for you does not mean you get to treat them like peices of garbage. You should feel honored that they still work here if you treat them like this! Second, just because someone is gay, does not mean you can call them a fag. It is very rude and totally disrespectful of the ones you are calling that." I said hotly. Inuyasha just smirked. I punched him again.

"And that was for almost killing Kagome and I!" I exclaimed, and then went to my seat and grabbed my plate. I picked it up and shoved it into Jakotsu's hands. He took it, shocked. I led him to the kitchen and sat him down at the counter.

"What would you like to drink?" I asked.

"Lemonade." He answered quickly.

"Ok, I'll be right back with that." I said and grabbed an extra plate. I went back into the dining room, filled my plate, grabbed my glass, and the pitcher of lemonade. "I will be eating in the kitchen." I said to the quiet room, then I turned on my heel and went back to the kitchen. I set everything down on the counter across from Jakotsu and got a glass for him. I poured lemonade into it, and handed it to him. Then I sat down and began to eat. He was staring at me, still shocked. After a moment, I looked up and met his eyes.

"Yeah?" I asked after I swallowed the mouthful of food I had.

"Why did you do that?" He asked softly, I studied his face.

"Because no one deserves to be treated cruelly just because they are different." I replied, just as soft. "And you are now my friend, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't stick up for my friends?" I asked and grinned.

"Not a very good one I guess." He said, and grinned back.

"Now go on, eat. You are an amazing cook." I said, and continued eating.

"But what about fighting? You broke the rules, you are going to get sent home!" Jakotsu exclaimed. I shrugged.

"I'll deal with that when it comes." I stated simply, and ate. Jakotsu followed my example, and soon he was telling me how he made it all. I listened, fascinated, it was amazing how much effort he put into all this.

"Wow." I said after my stomach was stuffed. He got up and peeked into the dining room.

"It's empty." He told me, and then grabbed a cart. I followed him into the dining room and helped him clear the table. "You don't need to help me." He told me as I loaded dirty dishes onto the cart.

"I know I don't have to, but I will anyways." I said simply, and continued working. Once the table was cleared, I helped him wash and dry the dishes. An hour later, the dishes were done, the kitchen and dining room were clean, and Jakotsu was thanking me.

"It was nothing. I don't mind helping out. I'm glad I got to meet you." I told him sincerley. He smiled softly at me.

"Oh what the heck!" He exclaimed and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I stiffened, but after a few moments hugged him back.

"You are one amazing person, Nikki!" He told me, and then released me. He pushed a lock of hair out of my eyes, and I saw his eyes widen. I realized what hair he had pushed, and turned my head away from him quickly. The mask I wore covered the scar for the most part, but you could still see it above my eye if my hair was moved. I brushed the hair back into place, and quickly left the kitchen. I was turning the corner to go into the main hall when I ran into Kouga.

"Sesshoumaru is looking for you. He wants you and your friends to gather in the library." He told me. I nodded and made my way to the library. I was the last one to arrive, besides Kouga who slipped in the door behind me. I stepped into line next to Rin, all were looking at the floor.

"You were told the rules of the house before you entered, were you not?" I looked at Sesshoumaru as he stared pointedly at was sitting behind a huge desk, with a lot of papers spread before him. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for my answer.

"Yes." I said. "And I will accept the consequences of my actions, all I ask is that my friends are able to remain here. They have done nothing wrong. They weren't included in the fight, so they didn't break any rules." I kept my voice even, as was my gaze. I met his stare, looking him straight in the eye. Finally, my eyes were beginning to dry out, and I blinked.

"And you know that fighting was against the rules?" He asked. I nodded.

"Then care to explain to me why you hit my little brother."

"Because your little brother is a jackass who thinks nothing of other people's feelings. Jakotsu spent the whole day cooking that dinner, by himself. He had no one helping him until I started, a half an hour before dinner. Do you know why he did that?" I asked, looking at the band members in the room. They shook their heads. "Because he didn't want to let Bankotsu, who is home sick, down. Now a dinner for two or three people, not that hard, but a dinner for sixteen? That takes skill, and the food was amazing. He doesn't deserve to be treated like trash, just because he works for you guys. Nor does he deserve to be called names because he's different. That's idiotic and rude. The second time I hit him was because he almost killed Kagome and I, and I have yet to hear an apology, or even be asked if I was all right." I stated.

"You almost hit two girls, and you didn't even apologize?" Miroku asked Inuyasha who shrugged. "How could you? And you call yourself a ladies man!" Miroku said outraged.

"Miroku, calm yourself. Inuyasha, you are to apologize to Kagome and Nikato. Then once you have done that, you are going to tell Jakotsu you are sorry, as you will tell Bankotsu when he returns to work. Ladies, thank you for coming here as I asked, and you can return to you rooms now." Sesshoumaru said, it was clear we were dismissed. As the others left, I stayed were I was.

"Yes, Nikato?" He asked, not looking up from what he was writing.

"So I'm not being kicked out?" I asked.

"As of tonight, no. I hold the right to change my mind though. Understood?" He glanced up at me.

"Understood." I said, and left the room. Kagome, Ay, Rin. and Sango were waiting for me.

"Nikki. You are crazy!" Rin accused me.

"And I accpet that, and am happy with it." I replied, grinning at her.

"So you get to stay?" Kagome asked me eagerly. I nodded.

"Nikki!" Ayume called running into the room.

"Do you get to stay?" She asked, running up to me, not stopping fast enough. I nodded and she squealed with delight and hugged me as she ran into me.

"So you're glad I'm staying?" I asked with a grin.

"Of course I am! And guess what? Shippou said he heard me singing and said I was really good!" She glowed with happiness, and I couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, girls, do you want to play with us?" Kouga called from over by the tv. He, Shippou, and Miroku were holding game controlers. They had set up an xbox, and were getting ready to play a game.

"I'll play!" Ay, Ayume, Rin, and Kagome said eagerly. They went over to the boys, and the teams were decided. Ay would be on Kouga's team. Rin would be on Kagome's, and Ayume would be on Miroku's. Since Shippou was a master at the game, he'd be on a team by himself. Sango and I claimed spots on the couch and watched the game as it began. The girl's played the first game, so Kouga and Miroku joined us on the couch.

"I'm glad you're not leaving, Nikki." Miroku told me.

"And why is that?" I asked, keeping a wary eye on where his hands were.

"Because you are my favorite lab partner!" He exclaimed, I rolled my eyes.

"Miroku, quit sucking up. What do you want?" I asked, and looked him in the eye.

"Why do you think I want something?" He asked innocently.

"Because I'm your favorite lab partner." I told him simply. He got a defeated look on his face and sighed.

"Fine." He got up and pulled me away from the couch. He led me into the hall, and then released my hand.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked.

"Your friend in there, what's she like?" He asked me.

"You need to be a little more specific." I replied.

"The one who hit me."

"Sango? Why do you want to know?" I asked, as he looked at me, I got it instantly.

"OH! You like her! But you just met her!" I said.

"That doesn't matter, what's she like? Do you think I have a chance with her?" He asked eagerly.

"Umm...." I thought for a moment. "You might, but if you are your usual self, then no. So most likely, no you have no chance." I said simply.

"Your lack of faith in me is crushing." He told me, I shrugged my shoulders. A cheer rose from the other room, and I went back in. Kagome and Rin were cheering. Apparentely they had won. I sat back down next to Sango, and she turned to me.

"So what'd he want?" She asked me.

"He wanted to talk about the big test we had in science. I don't know why seen as how school is done." I replied. She accepted the answer and we watched the game being played. An hour later, I was really bored.

"I'm going to bed, see you all tomorrow." I said to the room, and left. I climbed the stairs heading to my room. Once inside, I locked the door and laid down on my bed. I was tired and was soon asleep.

* * *

I awoke with a jolt and was covered in a cold sweat. I was trembling from my dream, but I had no idea what it was. I couldn't remember it. I wiped my face and looked at the clock by my bed. It was 5:30 in the morning. I got up and went to the dresser. I pulled out a clean set of clothes, nad grabbing my soap, went to take a shower. Once I was done, I went back to my room and grabbed my brush. I began to pull it through my wet hair, looking at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was really getting long, it now went halfway down my back. I put it into a simple ponytail, and put a fresh mask on. 'Wow, I had a really eventful day yesterday.' I thought to myself, and my stomach rumbled. 'Apparently I'm hungry. I might as well go get some breakfast.' I left my room and looked at my watch, it was now 6:00. I was the only one walking around the house, my steps echoed through out the empty dining room. I pushed open the door and saw I was the first one in the kitchen. I looked through the cupboards and located a bowl and a glass. Then I found a spoon. As I went to the fridge and grabbed milk out, I looked around to find cereal. I put the milk on the counter, and began looking through the cupboards again. after a few minutes I found some cereal and brought it to the counter. I poured some cereal into the bowl, followed by milk. Then I sat down and began to eat.

"Jak, calm down!" I looked up as I heard a male voice.

"I can't help it, Bankotsu! I hate that cemetary! Why do we have to take that way to get here?" I recognized Jakotsu's voice coming from right outside the door. It was pushed open and two men came in. They hadn't noticed me.

"I've told you before, we go that way because it's the fastest route from Pakki to here." The man said, I'm assuming he was Bankotsu. I stiffened when I heard Pakki. I knew that town. So if Pakki is by here, the cemetery they must be talking about is the Tama cemetery.

"Are you talking about the Tama cemetery?" I asked, making both men jump. They turned towards me, and Jakotsu's face lit up on seeing me.

"Nikki, you're still here!" He cried and ran to give me a hug. I stood up.

"Yeah, were you talking about the Tama cemetery?" I asked again. He nodded.

"That place is so creepy! I swear ghosts still walk around there!" Jakotsu exclaimed.

"Jak, quit exagerating. There is no such thing as ghosts." Bankotsu said. Jak released me to glare at Bankotsu.

"Is too!" He exclaimed.

"I'm Nikki." I introduced myself before a fight could ensue.

"So you were the one who Jak was telling me about. I'm Bankotsu but call me Ban." He told me. I nodded, and sat down again.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I began eating my cereal again.

"Better, thank you." Ban replied as he and Jak got the kitchen ready to make breakfast.

"So how far is the cemetery from here?" I asked nonchalantly.

"About fifteen miles if you follow the gravel road." Jak answered me. "Why?" He asked, looking at me over his shoulder as he grabbed some bowls out of the cupboard.

"Just wondering." I replied quickly. I knew he looked at me questioningly, but I turned my attention to my food. As soon as my bowl was emptied, it was whisked away from me, and I was shooed out of the kitchen. At a loss of what to do, I went outside. I laid down on the ground, and stared up at the early morning sky. 'It's Saturday, June ninth.' I thought to myself. 'I turn eighteen in two days, on the eleventh.' I sighed and looked around.

I saw someone go around the corner of the house, curious I got up and followed them. As I neared the back of the house, I heard the clanging of metal on metal, and men yelling. I came around the corner and saw Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru fighting with swords. A couple yards away, Shippou, Miroku, and Kouga were all physically fighting. Instantly I realized it was just training, because none of them looked to serious. I watched them all, but my attention was really being drawn towards Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. They were doing a complex dance of twirling, swinging, dodging, and blocking. It was amazing. Inuyasha slipped and landed with a thud on his back. Sesshoumaru instantly put his sword to Inuyasha's neck.

"Do you yield, little brother?" He asked.

"I yield." Inuyasha said, and the sword was removed from his throat. Sesshoumaru reached down and Inuyahsa grabbed the offered hand. As soon as he was up on his feet, the fight started again.

"Keep your mind in the fight, don't worry about your feet." Sesshoumaru said as Inuyasha tripped again. He just grumbled and got back up. The fight was on again. I looked over at the others and saw that Shipopu and Kouga were fighting very fast. Miroku had stepped out and let it become one on one. Kouga was attacking while Shippou was on the defensive side. Kouga's hands and feet were a blur, but somehow Shippou was managing to dodge them. Finally Shippou lashed out and the sides were instantly shifted. Shippou started making Kouga fall back under his volley of attacks. Suddenly Shippou flew back at least ten feet and landed hard on the ground. It took me a moment to realize that Kouga had landed a blow under Shippou's chin, sending him flying.

"Not bad, runt. You're getting better." Kouga said, as he went to help Shippou up. As Shippou brushed himself off, I caught sight of a necklace. It looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite remember where I had seen it. As i looked at the other men, I realized all except Miroku had one. I was about to make my presence known when I was asaulted by a memory.

_I was ten years old, and had just gotten home from school. I couldn't hear Shen and I was worried._

_"Is anyone home?" I yelled, dropping my bag by the door._

_"Nik!" I heard Shen say from upstairs. I smiled and ran up the stairs, heading towards his room. I turned the corner, and ran straight into my dad. He grabbed my arm painfully and pulled me up._

_"Watch where you're going you little bitch." He hissed at me. I looked up at him fearfully._

_"Sorry, I didn't know you were home!" I said quickly. He slapped me across the face, my head snapping to the side._

_"Don't talk back to me, wench." He sneered. I tried to protest but he hit me again. he kept hitting me, and I felt myself slipping into unconciousness. The last thing I saw before my eyes slipped closed was that necklace._

My eyes snapped open as I remembered what that necklace meant. I stared in shock at the boys, and felt fear rise in me. Almost immediately, four of the heads whipped towards me, Miroku's was a little slow. he grinned when he saw me.

"Nikki!" He called, I backed away slowly. The grin on his face faltered. "Nikki, what's wrong?" He called, and started to come towards me. I turned on my heel and fled into the house. I ignored Miroku's calls and ran to my room. As soon as I was in it, I slammed the door close, and locked it. Then I leaned against it, sliding down to the floor. I was shaking, and my heart was racing.

'Think about it, Nikki.' I told myself sternly, trying to gain control of my emotions. 'It's just a coincidence that they have the same necklace. It doesn't mean anything...' I tried to convince myself. It wasn't really working. 'They have no reason to harm me. I'm just over-reacting. It's not a big deal. You knew there were demons in the world and eventually you would meet up with another one. But just because they're demons doesn't mean they are exactly like Naraku.' Even in my mind I spat out the name Naraku. I hated him with a burning passion. I continued talking to myself, convincing myself that I was safe, and that the band members didn't mean me any harm. I jumped badly when someone knocked on my door.

"Nikki, are you awake yet?" Kagome called through the door.

"Yeah, I've been up for a couple hours now." I replied as I got up. It was true, it was now going on eight o' clock. I unlocked the door and let Kagome, Ay, Ayume, Sango, and Rin into the room.

"Why'd you go to bed so early?" Rin asked me as she jumped onto my bed.

"Because I was tired." I replied simply. Rin shrugged and continued jumping on my bed. "Why are you jumping on my bed? You have one in your room that's exactly the same!" I said.

"It's more fun when it's on someone else's bed!" She replied, and everyone in the room laughed. Kagome's belly growled loudly, and I looked at it in mock fear.

"Kagome, I think your stomach wants to eat me!" I said as it growled again loudly. Everyone but Kagome laughed as her face turned red.

"Nikki, you're horrible! I'm hungry!" She exclaimed, her stomach growled again, louder than before.

"Um, whatever you say, but I still think your stomach is trying to eat me!" I grinned at her as she glared.

"Nikki, I have two words for you." Her voice took on a scary tone, and I gulped as she looked at me evilly.

"Um Kagome, I was just kidding, you know that right?" I said cautiously, starting to head to my door.

"Run. Fast." She said simply, and I took off out the door. I flew down the stairs, and I knew Kagome was right behind me.

"Nikki, are you all right?" Miroku asked as I flew by him. Stopping suddenly, I whipped around and hid behind him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, laughing.

"I may have made Kagome mad, so shut up and hide me!" I told him, he laughed.

"Where'd she go?" I heard Kagome ask.

"Who, Kagome?" Miroku asked.

"Miroku, if you don't tell me where Nikki is, I will injure you badly." She said, her voice eriley calm. I saw Miroku shudder, and he looked over his shoulder at me.

"Sorry, Nikki." He said before he moved out of the way.

"Coward!" I shot at him.

"I may be a coward, but at least I'm not dead!" He retorted. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Nikki." Kagome said my name, and I looked at her warily.

"Yeah, Kagome?" I replied.

"You do realize you're in trouble, right?" She asked.

"Um, probably, but breakfast is ready, so why don't we go eat, huh?" I asked quickly. She perked up at the thought of food.

"Ok!" She said eagerly, and headed into the dining room.

"Is it safe to come downstairs?" Sango asked from the top of the steps.

"Yeah, Kagome found some food, so the beast is satisfied." I replied, and headed into the dining room. It was already pretty full, and I picked a spot. I ended up between Kouga and Sesshoumaru. I stiffened as I realized this, but I forced myself to calm down. I couldn't help the little nouget of fear that had lodged itself into my mind. I took a little food as it was passed around, but I wasn't very hungry.

"We aren't going to bite, you know." Kouga muttered to me, I jumped slightly, but then looked at him questioningly. He acted as if he hadn't said anything, and I looked back to my plate.

"And what makes you think I think that?" I asked, my voice soft.

"I can smell the fear coming off of you." He replied. My heart jumped, I had been right, they were demons.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I hissed.

"And now you are lying. Calm down, no one is going to hurt you." He told me. I looked at my plate and decided I was done. I rose quickly, and grabbed my dirty dishes. I could have left them at the table, but I wanted to get out of the room. I carried them to the kitchen. I deposited the left over food into the garbage and put my dishes in the sink. I washed them quickly, and then put them away.

"You know, it is our job to do the dishes." I looked over and saw Jak and Ban sitting at the counter.

"I know, but I feel bad about it." I replied, my heart still beating a little fast. I smiled at them to cover my uneasiness.

"Are you all right, Nikki?" Jak asked me, I nodded. He studied my face, and I quickly looked away as his eyes trailed towards my bangs, and I knew he was looking at what was hiddedn under them.

"Nikki, come on! The guys want us to go to the living room!" Rin shouted through the kitchen door.

"See you later!" I said and left the room, following everyone into the living room. Kikyou and her group were hanging all over Inuyasha, and it was disgusting. What made it worse is that he actually encouraged it. I stood by Sango and stared at them.

"That is sickening." I muttered, Sango was off in her own little world.

"Um Sango." I treid getting her attention, but she wasn't even looking at me. I followed her gaze and saw it was locked on Miroku, who was currently arguing with Kouga about a game. I waved my hand in front of her face, and she snapped back to reality.

"Nice of you to join us!" I joked, she glared at me.

"What?" She snapped.

"Nevermind, do you like him?" I indicated to Miroku.

"No! I don't even know him!" She exclaimed, I just laughed.

"Whatever you say, Sango." I grinned as she punched me playfully in the arm. Kouga was calling for attention.

"Ok, so because we can't keep all of you lovely ladies here, we have designed a type of contest to see who gets to stay at the end of the month. It's between the top three preformers, so the rest of you can relax and have fun." Miroku began.

"But the three winners will have to do a challenge every few days, and it will be any kind of challenge. A singing contest, realy race, quiz show. Anything." Shippou added.

"The first challenge is today. On the screen is three of our newest songs. They've never been realesed, so the first time you see it will be when you sing it. We are looking to see how well you can sight read both the words and the music, because if you are in the band, you don't always get to practice before you preform. First up is Ayume." Kouga said, and indicated for Ayume to come to the front of the room. She did after Kagome pushed her. She was handed a mic, and some papers. Shippou sat at the piano and looked at her.

"You ready, Ayume?" He asked. She nodded, and he began playing. She sung along, and I thought she did pretty good. Once she was done, we clapped and cheered for Ayume as her face turned red. She quickly gave the mic back to Kouga and went to stand by Kagome.

"Thank you Ayume. Up next is Kikyou." Kikyou strutted up to the front, and I rolled my eyes. She was acting like she was the queen of the world. She was given the mic, and a different song. A nod to Shippou and the song started right away. As soon as she started, I could tell she was on the wrong note and not following the beat of the song. When she was done, her friends clapped, but that was it.

"Thank you, Kikyou. Last, but not least we have Nikki!" Miroku said, and I made my way up to the front. I was handed a mic and a song. I scanned the first page quickly. It didn't seem to hard, and the words were pretty easy.

"Ready, Nikki?" Shippou asked me. I nodded and he began playing. I watched his part carefully, picking up my starting note and came in right on time. The song was about four minutes long. I messed up in a few spots but nothing really huge. When I was done, all my friends cheered, as did Miroku. I handed the mic back to Kouga, and gave the music to Miroku. Through this whole thing, Sesshoumaru had watched, his face blank. Inuyasha was flirting with Kikyou. She laughed at something, and it was an annoying, 'it's not actually funny but I'm laughing anyways' laugh.

"Thank you everyone! That was very good. Now you are all free to do what you please." Kouga said, and Inuyasha left, followed by the brat pack. Kagome and Rin set up the game they had started playing yesterday Sesshoumaru left as well.

"Nikki, you have to try this game, it's amazing!" Rin told me as she and Kagome started playing. I watched for a moment and realized the main point was to kill everything in sight.

"I'll pass." I said, and Sango and Ay quickly joined the game. Ayume was busy talking to Shippou as he messed around on the piano. Since I was bored, I made my way into the library. The book of fairy tales still was on the top shelf, but I didn't head for it at the moment. For now, I looked around at the books within my reach. There were plenty of interesting ones. I picked one out by an American author, sat down in one of the very comfy chairs and began to read. I was quickly absorbed into it. I didn't even know someone else was in the room until they cleared their throat. I was startled badly, so badly that I dropped the book. Kouga picked it up with quick fingers before I could. As I tried to calm my racing heart, I stood up.

"You scared me, I didn't realize that someone else was in here." I said quickly, watching as he flipped through the book. "Can I have the book back?" I asked, holding out my hand. He gave the book back, but as I grabbed it, he grabbed my hand. I stiffened at his touch, and quickly yanked my hand away.

"I knew it, you are afraid of us." He said smugly.

"I'm not afraid of you." I retorted.

"Then why do you act like that everytime you are by one of the band members?" He asked.

"I have no idea what you mean, I'm perfectly fine around Miroku." I answered, not looking him in the eye.

"You know what I mean. Since you walked into our training this morning, you have been skittish of Shippou, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and I. Every time you are near one of us, we can smell fear rise off of you. Why?" He asked.

"None of your damn business." I said.

"Why, because we are demons?" He asked, getting angry.

"No, because I don't know you, and you don't know me. I have no reason to tell you anything!" I retorted, my fear being quickly over-ridden by anger. He leaned closer to me and sniffed. "What in the hell do you think you are doing?" I demanded.

"Good, you aren't scared anymore." He said simply.

"I never was!" I exclaimed.

"And now you are lying. Keep this up and you will be kicked out."

"Maybe I should just leave. I don't have to stand here and be accused of things, even if they are true!" I announced angrily, and turned on my heel. He grabbed my arm, and turned me to face him.

"Calm down Nikki. You don't have to do that, right now you are one of the two who are in the lead. If you leave now, Ayume will have to put up with Kikyou by herself." He made a very good point. No matter how mad I was, I couldn't make Ayume do that. "I was just trying to get you over your fear." He said good-naturally and sat down in an armchair across from the one I had been sitting in. I flopped back into my chair and sighed.

"Wasn't scared." I muttered as I opened up the book again.

"Ok, whatever. By the way that was a nice punch you landed on Inuyasha. Have you ever had training in fighting?" I looked at him over the top of the book.

"No." He looked surprised.

"Really? Then you are a natural. Do you want to join our morning practices? It's easier to practice if the number of people are evened up." He explained at my puzzled look. I shrugged and went back to my book.

"Why do you wear that?" He asked, I looked up from my book again.

"Wear what?" I knew what he was asking about, but I asked anyways.

"The mask, I bet you are really pretty under it, so why do you hide your face?" He stated. 'I bet I'm not.' I thought darkly.

"Because I want to." I said shortly, he took the hidden suggestion to drop it. He yawned, and streched, his shirt lifting to expose his well-defined abs. I looked back down at my book, wanting to continue reading. He looked at me, watching me read. After a few minutes, it started to get very annoying.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up.

"Just trying to figure out why you're wearing that. And why you feel the need to pick a fight with everyone." He replied good-naturally.

"I don't pick a fight with everyone, just people who annoy me. And it's none of your business why I wear this." I retorted.

"Do you want to know what I think?" He asked, I could tell he wasn't going away, so I marked where I was in the book, and looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"What do you think?"

"I think you use fighting as a defense mechanism, so people don't get to close." He was very close, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"What are you, a pshyciatrist? I asked sarcastically.

"Nope, just very observant." He answered, and got up. "I also think that you shouldn't hide behind a mask all the time." He said as he went out the door. I glared at the door as it closed, and then went back to my book. It was useless, I couldn't concentrate on it anymore. I closed it and set it down on the coffee table in front of me. 'I'm kind of bored.' I thought and got up. I walked around the library a little, looking at all the books. Finding nothing that interested me, I went out of the library. Kagome and Rin were still playing the game, but now Ay and Sango had joined them.

Ayume was at the piano, with Shippou, Miroku, and Kouga surrounding her. She was playing a sad song. It was really good, and I didn't recognize it from anything. I went by her, to see if there was any sheet music, there wasn't. She was playing it from memory. As the last long note hung over the small group, we were all silent.

"That was really good." I told her and she gave me a small smile.

"Where'd you come up with it?" Kouga asked her.

"I was playing my piano a few days after mom's funeral. It just came to me." She said, her voice soft.

"It is a beautiful song." I told her. She smiled greatfully.

"What other instruments can you play?" Kouga asked.

"Um....nothing else." She answered.

"What about the guitar I saw you carrying up? Can you play it?" Shippou said. Ayume nodded reluctantly.

"I want to hear!" He said, animatedly. Kouga agreed. As I laughed, Ayume shoved me, causing me to bump into Kouga. As his arms came around me to keep me from falling, I sitffened. I broke free from his arms, and punched him, hard in the shoulder. He stumbled back a few steps, looking at me surprised.

"What was that for?" He growled. My heart skipped a beat, but I determidely fought the fear down.

"You inturrupted my reading, and then I couldn't finish it." I told him simply. Miroku started laughing.

"You could have warned me." Kouga shot at Miroku.

"That would have taken all the fun out!" Miroku exclaimed. Kouga tackeld him, and they began to wrestle, Shippou was egging them on. The girls paused the game, and turned to watch the two boys wrestle. As of the moment, Kouga was winning, but Miroku was putting up a very good fight. With a great deal of luck, Miroku managed to pin Kouga down, and he grinned excitedly. Obviously he thought he was going to win. Kouga smirked, and flipped Miroku, who landed hard on his back, his breath knocked out. Kouga sat right on Miroku, and didn't let him up until Miroku consented defeat.

"You just got owned Miroku!" Rin exclaimed. I laughed along with everyone else as Kouga helped Miroku up. Miroku's face was slightly red, and he crossed his arms while turning his face away from us.

"I let him do that." Miroku muttered, trying to save his pride.

"Right, we almost believe you, Miroku." I drawled, and we all started to laugh again. He turned a dull pink and muttered something about ungreatful friends. I went over to him and slung my arm over his shoulder. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"We only tease you because we care about you." I told him solemnly.

"Darn." He muttered and I laughed while shoving him away. He stumbled a few steps and the retreated to the window, staring out and muttering darkly.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any Inuyasha characters. If I did, I would be rich, but I don't so I'm not....anyways, back to the origional disclaimer, none of the Inuyasha characters are mine.

Author's note: I realize the first chapter is very very long, it was the first time I posted a story, and I didn't figure out how to do chapters until after I had posted it. But oh well....none of the other chapters will be that long...I hope. That took a long time to write! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 2**

"Nikki, leave him alone!" Kagome told me, I turned to look at her innocently.

"What, I wasn't doing anything!" I protested.

"Quit teasing him, and get over here! You have to try this game out! It's amazing!" She exclaimed. At everyone's encouragment, I jumped over the back of the couch and took the offered controller from Ay.

"So, how do I use this clicker thingy?" I asked, looking at it. I was given a brief description of how to use it, and then the game was started. Almost immediately, a monster jumped out at me and I yelled while masing down random buttons. One of the buttons I pushed caused the weapon I was holding to fire and kill the monster.

"What was that?" I asked, my eyes wide. Everyone was too busy laughing at me to answer. "NO STAY AWAY!" I yelled as another freaky monster jumped out at me. I hit all the buttons again, and it was killed.

"I am done playing!" I exclaimed, and tossed the clicker at Shippou who was laughing too hard to catch it. It bounced off his head, and landed on the floor. He just rubbed his injured head, still laughing.

"Obviously I am getting no respect from you, so I am going to go find someone else to hang out with!" I announced, and left the room. My stomach was telling me it was almost time for lunch, so I wandered into the kitchen. Ban and Jak were working busily, on I'm assuming supper.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Jak asked, looking up from the pot he was currently cooking in.

"Yeah, but I can find my own food!" I said as Ban started to move towards the cupboard.

"Quit being so difficult, and let us do our job!" Ban exclaimed as he grabbed a plate. I conceded only after I was threatened with a frying pan. I sat at the counter as Ban prepared a plate of left-overs from the night before. It was shoved into my hands, as was a can of pop. Then I was escorted out of the kitchen, before I could react.

"Apparently I will be eating out here." I mused as I set my food down on the table. I immediately dug in, enjoying the very yummy food.

"Can I join you?" I looked up at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. His hands were laden with food and a can of pop as well.

"You got kicked out of the kitchen as well?" I asked as he took a seat across from me. I was forcing myself to remain calm, even though I know my heart began to beat a bit faster.

"Yeah, after I was threantened with a pot." I looked at him startled.

"You didn't yell at them?" I asked, I had just assumed he didn't put up with any nonsense.

"No," He said shaking his head. "I'm not a bad guy, and plus they can make good food, which means I don't have to cook."

"Didn't think you were a bad guy in the first place." I muttered, and at his snicker, I realized he heard me. My face flushed red, and I kept my face towards my plate.

"There you are, Nikki!" Ayume called, coming into the room. I looked at her, only when I was sure my face was no longer red.

"I was hungry, and food can't tease me." I retorted and Kouga laughed as he followed Ayume in.

"Come on, Ayume, let's leave Nikki alone to eat! I bet there is more food in the kitchen!" He said, and steered her into the kitchen. What I heard next made me choke on my pop.

"OH MY GOD! YOU ARE SO CUTE! KOUGA ARE YOU DATING HER?" Jak's voice carried easily into the room. Sesshoumaru and I looked at each other, before starting to laugh. Ayume and Kouga came into the room, both carrying food, and their faces were very red. I was laughing so hard, I had tears running down my face. Ayume plopped her food down, and sunk down low in her chair. Kouga sat next to Sesshoumaru. As I calmed down, the rest of the group from the living room had entered the room.

"What's so funny?" Kagome asked. I looked at Ayume, and she shook her head frantically. I gave her an evil grin.

"Did you know Kouga and little Ayume were dating?" I asked.


End file.
